Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie.

　　Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I'll watch her other three. And when she watches two of mine, I'll take someone out.

　　The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time. Christie's daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She's like a different child when there's no one else around,” Christie shared with me quietly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn't have to make an effort to gain attention.

　　Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times. For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering（口吃的）son, Tom, doesn't stutter once during our activities since he doesn't have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who's always a follower when around other children shines as a Ieader during our times together.

　　The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child--talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves（应得到）to be an only child at least once in a while.

(1)What is the text mainly about?

[　　]

A．The experience of the only child being with the mother.

B．The advantage of spending time with one child at a time.

C．The happy life of two families.

D．The basic needs of children.

(2)Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____.

[　　]

(3)What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?

[　　]

A．The daughter acts like a leader.

B．Sam holds her hand more often.

C．The boys become better followers.

D．Tom has less difficulty in speaking.

(4)The author seems to believe that ________.

[　　]

A．having brothers and sisters is fun

B．it's tiring to look after three children

C．every child needs parents' full attention

D．parents should watch others' children

　　Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.

　　Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.

　　Adult drivers listen to music from the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.

　　Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country,young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

　　There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

　　Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music（管弦乐）, such as the symphonies（交响乐）of Beethoven. There is opera（歌剧）for singers. There is ballet（芭蕾舞剧）for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.

(1)In what sense can music be regarded as an international language?

[　　]

A．Popular music is what everyone enjoys.

B．The songs that are sung or played by instrurnents are so beautiful and under-standable that everyone can enjoy them.

C．When music is played, it seems as if it were speaking to us.

D．Music is so popular throughout the world that everyone can play it.

(2)What can we know about music and people in America?

[　　]

A．Students drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.

B．Students always listen to music before class, in class and after class.

C．Adult drivers listen to news as well as music when they drive to work.

D．Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.

(3)How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

(4)Country music _____.

[　　]

A．is a kind of music that is popular in America

B．has nothing to do with folk music

C．is only sung by cowboys

D．is not played in the concert halls

(5)Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．All people in America like popular music.

B．Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.

C．Now, western or country music is a little different from its beginning.

D．Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.

　　At the time, I would go out in the evening with my parents. But this time I had bor rowed a bicycle from a friend of mine. I didn't know why, but once I was on my own bicycle, a kind of free feeling flooded through me. The faster I rode, the faster I wanted to go! Far ahead, I rode as if my life depended on it, head down, hands grasping the handbars. I meant to get to Jinghai Bar as fast as I could...

　　Oh! My hands!Don't come any closer...Don't touch me!That poor doctor just couldn't get my gloves off. Each time he took a step towards me, I broke into painful shout ing. Much later, I discovered that I had crashed（碰撞）heavily into another bicycle, and I hadn't spoken one word of sense for at least three hours! After some time, my mother arrived at the hospital, her face as white as a sheet, and gave me a hug（拥抱）, only then did the doctor begin to stitch（缝合）my head wound, not only did he merrily cut off a long lock of my hair, but used no anaesthetic（麻药）either! Later, I seemed to hear faraway voices saying that my right hand was broken. I almost burst into tears. How would I ever play the piano again?

(1)On her way to Jinghai, the writer felt _____.

[　　]

(2)Why did the writer ride a bicycle to Jinghai Bar that evening?

[　　]

A．Because she wanted to attend a party on time.

B．Because she wanted to meet her friend who was waiting for her there.

C．Because she just wanted to join some of her friends and drink some wine.

D．We are not quite sure about what she was really going there for.

(3)What did the writer think of the doctor?

[　　]

(4)One thing is sure,that is, before she was wounded she ________.

[　　]

A．often went to Jinghai Bar with her friends

B．liked playing the piano

C．didn't like any doctors at all

D．would burst into tears when she was in trouble

　　Sweden's pop phenomenon, which started with ABBA in the seventies, has exploded into a large industry tanging from CD sales to concert tours. But homegrown bands and CD markers are only a part of the success. World stars are beating a path to Sweden's music producers whose studios and songwriters lie behind many an American and British success.

　　Denis Pop--one of the greatest Swedish pop producers--put Sweden on the map, writing and producing hit after hit for stars such as the Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi and Britney Spears. French-Canadian Celine Dion, American Boyband 98 Degrees and American singer Jennifel Lopez turn to Sweden for songs composed by music writer and producer Arnthor Birgison.

　　All this has made Sweden the world's third biggest exporter of music. But how did Sweden manage to spread its sound all over the globe?

　　Birgison, 25, believes the traditional Swedish approach to hard work and an unfriendly climate are key to the music sensation（轰动）. Besides, Swedes are also very good at speaking English, which is very important, because very little music sung in other languages succeeds anywhere outside its home country. Another piece in the puzzle is that Swedish children at an early stage get to try out musical instruments and learn music theory in school, at little cost to their parents.

(1)We can learn from the above passage that ______.

[　　]

A．Sweden exports the largest amount of music to the outside world

B．Swedish musical training theory is puzzling to kids of early ages

C．Swedish musicians have made great contributions to the world music

D．most of the western singers' success bases on the work of the Swedish artists

(2)What does “ABBA” in the opening paragraph most probably refer to?

[　　]

A．A music group.

B．A successful industrialist.

C．A CD maker.

D．A music producer.

(3)Which of the following leads to the success of Swedish music and musicians?

[　　]

A．Famous song writers.

B．Good weather conditions.

C．The musical training system.

D．The large amount of money parents spend on their children's musical education.

(4)If the Swedish musical artists couldn't speak English well, ______.

[　　]

A．they wouldn't be able to learn the up-to-date music theories

B．the Swedish music wouldn't have been so internationally successful

C．they would have difficulty in commu-nicating with foreign singers

D．they wouldn't have children start to learn music at an early age

阅读理解

　　For Chinese, it's a time for the Dragon Boat racing and Zongzi（粽子）. But across the Yellow Sea, South Korea, wrestling（摔跤）and swing play are the highlights. However, both events go by the same name--the Dragon Boat Festival--which falls on May 5 of the lunar calendar.

　　One festival, two cultures: does one nation have the right to call it its own? It has been reported that South Korea will apply（申请）to the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization（UNESCO 联合国教科文组织）to make the celebration its cultural heritage（文化遗产）. If successful, people from other countries may see the Dragon Boat Festival as a Korean creation.

　　As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2 000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. “It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China,” said Zhou Heping, deputy culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event.

　　Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of local culture.

　　With this in mind, some experts say that it is meaningless to argue about which country the festival belongs to. “No one can deny that it came from China,” said Long Haiqing, an expert from Hunan Province. “But if all the countries involved can protect culture heritage together,they will all benefit.”

(1)The underlined word “highlights” can be probably replaced by “________”

[　　]

A．most exciting events

B．highest lights on the building

C．brightest lights at night

D．most famous festivals

(2)It can be inferred that South Korea _______.

[　　]

A．has proclaimed（宣布）the Dragon Boat Festival as a part of its cultural heritage

B．has the exactly same Dragon Boat Festival as China

C．has no idea that China has such a festival

D．is paying more attention to its cultural heritage than China

(3)China is not happy with the situation because _____.

[　　]

A．it created the festival

B．it is also making an application

C．South Korea has no right to call the festival its own

D．UNESCO may approve（批准）South Korea's application

(4)If South Korea's application to UNESCO is successful, _______.

[　　]

A．China will also make its own application to UNESCO

B．it will be meaningless to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival

C．people from other parts of the world will think South Korea created the fes tival

D．the Dragon Boat Festival will become part of local culture

阅读理解

Dear Li Ming,

　　Hi, my name is Brianne. I am a friend of Jenny's. Jenny tells me you are thinking about starting guitar lessons. She suggested that I write to you because I have taken many kinds of music lessons. I am happy to talk to you about my favourite topic:music.

　　I am sending the CD of my favourite singer. I hope you enjoy it. I listen to this music every day on the radio and I thought you might like it, too. Bryan Adams is very popular here. Have you ever heard of him? He's great! How about in China? When I take the school bus each day, I like to bring my “Discman” so that I can listen to music while I am going to school. It is important that students be happy on the bus, don't you think? I love many kinds of music and I think music is very important in life.　　Music has been a part of my life since I was young. When I was only four, I started taking violin lessons. We had many music parties and concerts. Then as I got older, I play the piano, and eventually joined the band at school and started playing the saxophone. That's when I learned to appreciate jazz music. Now,even though I like listening to popular music, I also love playing music.

　　Once I learned to play sax, and fell in love with jazz music, I wanted to sing. So now I am taking guitar lessons. I absolutely love it! It's easier to sing when you have a guitar to keep you “on key”. I'm surprised at how easy it is. I recommend you start your lessons right away and I'm sure that you will learn very quickly. Someday maybe we will be able to play together. Wouldn't that be fun?

　　Lately, I've been thinking about how important music is. In Canada we sometimes say, “Music is the language of the soul.” I think this is true because when I play music, I can experience emotions and express parts of myself that I can't really talk about in words. Do you know what I mean, Li Ming? Have you ever had this experience? Whether I'm feeling down, or having the best time, music always makes the day better.

　　Actually, I can think of one day, years ago, when music didn't make my day better. I was playing in a piano concert with three of my friends. We were in this fancy hall with a baby grand piano on the stage and two judges sitting in the audience. I was terrified! It was the first time I had to know my song by memory. My first friend went up and played her song; the audience clapped and she returned to her seat. She had played beautifully. My second friend also played well. Then the judges called my name. I had butterflies in my stomach and a lump in my throat as I slowly walked up to the stage. I began to play.

　　About halfway through the song, I completely forgot the notes! I stopped playing, and then started again at the beginning, but when I got to the same place, I forgot the notes again. This time I stopped and looked up at the audience and saw one of the judges slowly walking up to the stage to bring me the music book. I have never been so embar-rassed in all my life! By the way, I didn't win the competition.

　　Whenever I remember this story, I laugh. It doesn't seem so tragic now. Don't let it scare you. Most of my memories of music are good ones, and I don't ever want to stop playing instruments and listening to good music. Pop music, classical music, jazz or even country music, I enjoy them all.

　　So, Li Ming, I strongly recommend that you take the guitar lessons. Please let me know how it turns out. I hope you enjoy this gift of music. I would like to know what you think about music. What kind of music do you listen to?

Your new friend,

Brianne

(1)When Brianne says “when I play music, I can... express parts of myself that I can't really talk about in words,” it means “_____”.

[　　]

A．words are powerless in expressing oneself

B．music is sometimes more expressive and powerful than words

C．I'm a poor writer but a good musician

D．I can't express myself in words but can express myself by playing music

(2)Brianne is a friend of Jenny's. Why did she write a letter to Li Ming?

[　　]

A．She wanted to make friends with her.

B．She wanted to teach her guitar.

C．She wanted to make some suggestions on music lessons.

D．She wanted to think highly of music.

(3)Which of the following statements is TRUE?

[　　]

A．Brianne is a music fan.

B．Brianne doesn't want Li Ming to take the guitar lessons.

C．Music makes Brianne any day better.

D．Brianne gave Li Ming some advice on the guitar lessons.

(4)Why didn't Brianne win the competition?

[　　]

A．She didn't practise a lot.

B．She was too nervous to remember the notes.

C．She didn't know the judges.

D．The music that she played was too difficult.

　　There are different ways of telling a story. It can be told in words. It can be told in pictures. It can be told in music. It can be acted out. Or it can be told by still another way--by dancing. Dancing that tells a story is called ballet.

　　The dancing in a ballet is done to music, but the story is told by the movements of the dancers. There is no singing or speaking.

　　The dancers in the picture are telling the story of Steeping Beauty. The music for this famous ballet was written by the Russian composer Tschaikowsky. The movements of its dancers were worked out by the French ballet master Petipa.

　　A ballet is a work (of art) just as a beautiful picture is. The person who plans a ballet is an artist. So is each dancer.

　　Sometimes ballet is called toe dancing. It is true that in some ballets the dancers do dance on their toes. But a great deal of the dancing in ballets is not toe dancing. Toe dancing is used to give the idea of lightness and airiness. It is never put into a ballet unless it fits the story.

　　Back in the days of ancient Greece and Rome there were dances that told stories of the gods. Even longer ago in Egypt there were dances that told stories of the planets.But the ballet of today had its beginnings about 600 years ago. It began as a kind of entertainment in the courts of the rulers of Italy. Two hundred years later ballet was popular in the French court. The French king Louis X IV founded a ballet school.

　　On a ballet program today there are often some French words. The names of many ballets are French. But there may be other French words, too. A part of a ballet that is danced by just two people is called a pas de deux. Such French words remind us that France was once the leader in ballet.

　　Today there are many ballet companies. All opera companies, too, have ballet dancers, for ballets are a part of many operas. No one country now leads in ballet.

　　Later the rulers of Russia became interested in ballet. They offered a great deal of money to the best ballet masters and dancers of France. They founded a ballet school. Soon Russia was the leader in ballet.

　　Ballet is not easy to learn. A boy or a girl who wishes to be a ballet dancer has to begin going to a ballet school very early. Some begin when they are only three or four. All the parts in a ballet used to be danced by men. But now a girl has as good a chance as a boy of being a famous ballet dancer.

(1)There are ______ ways of telling a story accordingto the passage.

[　　]

(2)Ballet is called toe dancing because _____.

[　　]

A．there is a great deal of toe dancing in every ballet

B．in some ballets toe dancing is used to fit the story

C．it always tells a story by toe move-ments

D．the word ballet means “toe” in French

(3)Ballet of today can date back as early as ___.

[　　]

A．the days of ancient Greece and Rome

B．days before ancient Greece and Rome

C．about 600 years ago

D．the time when Louis X IV was in power

(4)_______ never acted as the leader in the history of ballet.

[　　]

(5)Which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．Boys are more likely to be successful in ballet than girls.

B．Ballet dances also play parts in many operas beside ballets.

C．Petipa was a Russian ballet master.

D．Ballet dancers of France weren't welcome in Russia.

　　Presently I got up and dressed, stuck my violin under my jacket, and went out into the streets to try my luck. I wandered for about an hour, looking for a likely spot, feeling as though I were about to commit a crime. Then I stopped at last under a bridge near the station and decided to have a go.

　　I felt tense and shaky. One moment I was part of the hurrying crowds, the next I stood apart, my back to the wall, my hat on the pavement before me, the violin under my chin.

　　The first notes I played were loud and raw, then they settled down and began to run more smoothly. To my surprise, I was neither arrested nor told to shut up. Indeed, nobody took any notice at all. Then an old man, without stopping, superstitiously tossed a penny into my hat as though getting rid of some guilty evidence.

　　Other pennies followed slowly but steadily, dropped by shadows who appeared not to see or hear me. It seemed too easy,like a confidence trick.

　　I worked there for several days,gradually acquiring the truths of the trade by trial and error. It was not a good thing, for instance,to let the hat fill up with money; nor was it wise to empty it completely, placing a couple of pennies in the hat to start the thing going soon became a regular ritual.

(1)The author started playing his violin in the street because ____.

[　　]

A．he had nowhere else to play

B．he wanted to entertain people

C．he had to earn some money

D．he wanted to try his skill

(2)When he first began to play, he expected _____.

[　　]

A．to get into trouble

B．to play better than he did

C．people to stop and listen to him

D．to be told to move to somewhere else

(3)The first man who gave him money _____.

[　　]

A．was too busy to stop

B．wanted to get rid of him

C．dropped the money by mistake

D．did not want to attract attention

(4)He found that the best way of encouraging people to give him money was to ______.

[　　]

A．play in different streets

B．leave all the money in the hat

C．empty the hat at regular intervals

D．leave a small amount of money in the hat

　　For a 400-year-old art form, peras had a bad fame: overweight actresses singing the words which are hard to understand in one of those romance（浪漫）languages you were supposed to learn in high school. And with tickets costing as much as $ 145 a perform-ance, opera goers also have a certain appear-ance in people's mind; ich, well-dressed and old.

　　But now opera companies around the country are loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes in an attempt to bring the opera to the audience it needs to keep it alive, he young and not-so-rich.

　　Opera producers have found that to attract this crowd, they need to make the opera closer to common people. That means no formal suits, old styled theatre or bank-breaking ticket prices. And because young people don't or won't come to the opera, companies are bringing the opera to them, giving perform-ances in such usual places as parks, libraries and public schools.

　　The Houston Grand Opera'S choice is the public library, where it performs “mobile operas”, shortened versions（剧本）of child-friendly operas. This summer's production is Hansel & Gretel. By performing smaller versions of large productions, producers are able to make people interested while keeping costs at a reasonable level. The San Francisco Opera, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary（周年纪念）this year, is staging Cinderella free of charge, keeping costs down by employing students from its Young Artists' Training Program.

(1)Which is the main idea of this text?

[　　]

A．Opera is famous for its long history.

B．Opera is only performed for rich people.

C．Young people are not interested in opera.

D．Opera companies are trying to keep opera alive.

(2)The underlined phrase “loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes” (in Para-graph 2) means _____.

[　　]

A．advertising themselves

B．changing the formal suits

C．breaking up the old rules

D．making the audience at ease

(3)Opera companies prefer to perform short versions because ______.

[　　]

A．it is hard to find long versions

B．short versions are easy to perform

C．they can perform in public libraries

D．they can make people come to opera

(4)The San Francisco Opera employs student actors in order to ____.

[　　]

A．attract young people

B．reduce the cost

C．make Cinderella popular

D．celebrate its 75th anniversary

(5)From the text we can infer that

[　　]

A．the tickets for operas are very expensive

B．operas are performed in a difficult language

C．operas are not so popular an art form today

D．students enjoy performing operas very much

　　A symphony orchestra usually presents a perfect model for people who need to work harmoniously together. The conductor raises his stick. All eyes are on him. He begins to conduct and the music flows magically. Yet to reach this point is not always easy. The pitch（音调）to which the instruments are set is sometimes a source of horrible argument. Should A be fixed at 440 cycles per second, which is considered standard, or at 442.5 cycles per second, which is used by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra? The difference may seem to be insignificant, but to trained ear, it may be troublesome.

　　Who sets the pitch of an orchestra? In many orchestras, the oboe（双簧管）sets the pitch of A, and all other instruments follow it. Musical experts believe that the oboe's tone is “purer”, less complex than that of other instruments like the violin. At the New York Symphony Orchestra, however, the A is sounded by the principal clarinetist（单簧管手）. The person who sets the pitch usually enjoys a higher status than others and some envious criticism.

　　A device is now often used to avoid quarrels about the ability of any musician to sound the right pitch as the guide for the orchestra. The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, for example, uses an electronic “black box”, an instrument that sounds a perfect tone of 440 cycles per second. Though the principal oboist is the keeper of the box, her role is purely mechanical. She starts the box, and the box sounds the standard A.

　　“This is terrible,” say some musicians who have been called the Anti-A Team. “A machine is running our lives.” Whether criticized or not, the black box does provide a standard pitch that reduces arguments and disagreements. It is a super solution.

(1)The violin is never used to set the pitch of A because its tone is too _____.

[　　]

(2)According to this passage, the electronic “black box” is used _____.

[　　]

A．by most major orchestras

B．to set the standard pitch

C．to replace the principal clarinetist

D．to avoid quarrels among musicians

(3)The Anti-A Team refers to musicians who _____.

[　　]

A．are against electronic setting of the pitch

B．are not real lovers of symphony music

C．prefer a pitch of 440 cycles per second

D．are members of the New York Symphony Orchestra

(4)The main idea of the passage could be ____.

[　　]

A．the “black box”, rather than musicians, sets the pitch for an orchestra

B．who is the right person to determine the pitch in an orchestra

C．how to set the standard pitch for an orchestra

D．how to work harmoniously in an orchestra